Application platforms / Skyhook Kubernetes Platform alternative

A Skyhook.io alternative for the agent execution environment

Skyhook is a Kubernetes application platform that runs on customer infrastructure, including supported cloud and on-premise clusters. It manages application delivery, scaling, observability and preview environments. The platform subscription and the underlying cloud bill are separate from a persistent Linux agent-runtime service.

Start buildingCompare capabilities ↓

Reviewed 2026-10-19 · Published by the Sandbox0 team

When Skyhook Kubernetes Platform fits

Skyhook fits teams operating application services on their own Kubernetes infrastructure with deployment controls, scaling and platform visibility. Keep required cluster and delivery capabilities when they are part of the application.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 for compatible Linux agents requiring a whole durable writable RootFS, enabled automatic online growth and supported files while sandbox compute stays paused. Migrate necessary application and cluster integrations explicitly.

Capabilities

Skyhook Kubernetes Platform and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeSkyhook Kubernetes PlatformNot established in this reviewSandbox0ttl and hard_ttl default to 0 (disabled). Configure idle pause and deletion policies for the same persistent sandbox identity; an idle running sandbox still accrues compute charges.Read documentation →
Persistent filesSkyhook Kubernetes PlatformCustomer Kubernetes storage configuration can retain application data, but the reviewed platform docs do not establish one standard writable guest-disk contract.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSSkyhook Kubernetes PlatformApplication pods, overlays and cluster controls do not establish universal full mutable guest OS retention.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Persistence extends beyond /workspace to paths such as /usr/local, /etc, and /home. Runtime tmpfs and virtual filesystems are excluded.Read documentation →
Release compute, keep stateSkyhook Kubernetes PlatformKEDA scale-to-zero and pod replacement are distinct from durable full-machine pause/resume.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateSkyhook Kubernetes PlatformPreview configuration copies do not establish saved RAM/process snapshots.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Experimental memory checkpoints can preserve compatible process state. Use memory: true on both pause and resume on a compatible deployment. A filesystem checkpoint alone does not preserve running processes.Read documentation →

Online RootFS growth

On growth-enabled images, Sandbox0 automatically expands the writable RootFS as free space runs low, within a configured sparse logical ceiling up to 64 TiB. Agent processes keep running. Growth is enabled in the qualified Cloud region; confirm activation for other regions. Existing images and snapshots retain their captured storage geometry. The ceiling is logical capacity, not preallocated host disk.

Horizontal/vertical scaling changes application resources. Persistent-volume and filesystem growth depend on customer infrastructure and configuration; the reviewed platform controls do not establish automatic whole-agent RootFS growth.

Files while compute is paused

Sandbox0's Files API reads persistent files without resuming compute. Filesystem-only pauses also permit edits; retained-memory pauses are read-only and reject mutations with 409. SSH, SFTP, file watching, and runtime-only mounts require running compute.

See paused file operations →

The subscription does not include cloud resource usage

The Free plan allows three Git-connected users, three services and one cluster. Premium’s monthly selection is $1,000 for up to ten users, fifteen services and five clusters. The pricing FAQ says infrastructure is paid directly to the customer’s provider; a Free platform plan is not free cloud compute.

Source 1 ↗

Autoscaling adjusts pods and resources, not saved agent memory

Skyhook supports horizontal replica scaling, vertical resource adjustment and KEDA event-driven scaling including zero. Some vertical update modes recreate pods and cause replacement downtime. These Kubernetes application controls do not establish a saved-process pause/resume contract for a returning agent.

Source 1 ↗

Preview environments copy configuration with distinct lifecycle rules

Previews use ephemeral deployment overlays and are excluded from static-environment production readiness policies by default. The current guide describes explicit environment deletion and future automatic teardown behavior. It does not establish automatic cloning of every application disk or live process.

Source 1 ↗

Pricing

Compare billing models, then price your workload

CPU allocation, memory, billing minimums, disk, plan fees, and supported workload differ. These meters are not equal-performance machine quotes. Confirm region, resource units, and included allowances before estimating a total.

Skyhook Kubernetes Platform

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-19

Free platform plan
$0
Up to 3 Git-connected users, 3 services and 1 cluster; own infrastructure is separate.
Rate source ↗
Premium monthly selection
$1,000/month, billed monthly
Up to 10 Git-connected users, 15 services and 5 clusters.
Rate source ↗
Enterprise
Custom quote
Rate source ↗
Cloud or on-premise infrastructure
Paid separately to the infrastructure provider
Rate source ↗

The page also offers a yearly selection advertising a 20% discount; the displayed $1,000 reference here is the monthly selection. Include nodes, storage, networking and provider fees in a complete budget.

Check current Skyhook Kubernetes Platform pricing ↗

Sandbox0

$0.015/GiB-hour compute (billed by the second at approximately $0.000004167/GiB-second), plus $0.02/GiB-month of retained incremental RootFS and memory checkpoint data. Shared base images and platform recovery retention are excluded; paused sandboxes accrue storage charges only.

Compute / GiB-hour
$0.015
Retained data / GiB-month
$0.02
Paused compute
$0.00

A 4 GiB agent, 100 running hours

$6.00 compute

4 GiB × 100 hours, billed by the second. Keeping 20 GiB of billable incremental data for a full billing month adds $0.40. CPU is derived from memory by the platform; choose a tier that fits your workload.

Understand storage billing →

Before migrating from Skyhook Kubernetes Platform

  1. Inventory cluster ownership, services, persistent volumes, GitOps repositories, previews, scaling policies and platform fees.
  2. Keep required application infrastructure and export compatible Linux agent tools and files with verified credentials handling.
  3. Test application delivery separately from agent system retention, online growth, paused files and the combined platform/infrastructure bill.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in Skyhook Kubernetes Platform replacement?

Evaluate API compatibility and product scope. These products serve different core workflows, so a change may require a different architecture.

Does keeping files also keep a running agent?

Filesystem state and volatile process state are separate. Sandbox0 requires explicit compatible memory checkpoints to preserve running processes; its default filesystem resume starts fresh processes.

Sources and review scope

The Boat team's Battleships directory is the discovery source. References below describe the product and plan discussed on this page. Check current availability, regional terms and billing units before migrating. Where the cited material does not establish a capability or price, the comparison identifies that uncertainty.

Battleships research record ↗www.skyhook.io/pricing ↗docs.skyhook.io/application/services/autoscaling.md ↗docs.skyhook.io/application/environments/preview.md ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

Related comparisons

Aptible vs Sandbox0 →Azure Container Apps vs Sandbox0 →Clever Cloud vs Sandbox0 →Dockup vs Sandbox0 →Fly.io Machines vs Sandbox0 →Google Cloud Run vs Sandbox0 →